Defence and Security PhD call 2015
Synthetic Biology to Produce Novel Materials
for Defence and Security
To date, the Ministry of Defence’s (MOD’s) Defence and Security PhD scheme has funded over 100 PhDs across a number of themes. The focus of the current call for PhD level research, commencing in October 2015, is Synthetic Biology to Produce Novel Materials for Defence and Security.Ourintention is to fund up to 20 PhDs. We encourage applications from UK universities with leading academics, research groups or research centres in the subject areas identified below.
Where appropriate we intend to cluster the funding of PhDs in order to maximise our engagement by theme, or with either a leading academic, research group or research centre. The programme seeks to fully fund PhD projects (a maximum of 5 per university) where applicants can demonstrate how they are leading the thinking in the areas of interest. Evidence of the international standing of the research of the academic groups identified in the proposal should be provided which includes evidence of significant research income and their contribution to the UK and international research landscape. The benefit that MOD would obtain through funding research at their particular university should also be described. We also intend to build upon the investment in world class expertise by the research councils within the specified areas; significant alignment with, or contribution from, other sources of studentship support from the host university (eg from research councils, institutional funds, other funding sources) is highly desirable.Applicants need to refer to the scoring criteria so that they fully understand how a proposal’s quality, relevance and value to MOD will be reviewed.
Key Dates:
•Expression of Interest (EOI) by 11 January 2015
•Date of PhD Calling Conference 28 January 2015
•Closing date for applications 31March 2015
•Funding decision by the end of May 2015
•The projects will need to commence in October 2015
Synthetic biology is an emerging, multidisciplinary research area at the intersection of engineering, bioscience, chemistry and information technology. Commonly accepted definitions of synthetic biology have been evolving and currently there appears to be convergence and consensus around the following:
Synthetic biology aims to design and engineer novel biologically-based parts, devices and systems, as well as redesign existing natural biological systems for useful purposes. It incorporates the principles of engineering eg modularity, abstraction and orthogonality into classical biotechnology.
In common with most emerging technologies, the potential applications of synthetic biology approaches are broad.It has the potential to address some of the more intractable problems facing the defence and security of the UK, and opens new avenues in protecting the armed forces and civilian populations.
Technology challenge
The purpose of this call is for highly innovative, high risk research proposals employing synthetic biology approaches to produce Functional Materials with properties relevant to defence and security. It is envisaged that this will involve cutting edge, multidisciplinary research through the application of existing synthetic biology tools and techniques using novel research approaches and the discovery of new knowledge.
Functional materials in this context are those that perform more than a structural rolein the resultant physical form of an entity or object. For example, protective coatings, witness materials (that indicate the occurrence of a particular event) and metamaterials are all different types of functional materials as are those that can provide electrical, magnetic or optical effects. Functional materials in this context may also include smart materials; these are materials that can sense a stimulus from their environment and react to it in a useful, reliable, reproducible and usually reversible manner. Materials that exhibit smart behaviour are categorised as those that have one or more properties that can be significantly changed in a controlled fashion by external chemical, thermal, acoustic, light, pressure change, electrical or magnetic stimuli.
Functional materials, structures and technologies represent a diverse and multidisciplinary area which offers significant opportunities for the UK’s security across both short and long term timescales. Technical advancements in the ability to engineer micro- and nano-materials and structures, including through synthetic biology approaches, mean it is becoming increasingly possible to model, design and construct materials with unique properties. Functional materials offer huge potential, but exploitation can be limited by the availability of materials.
We are seeking multidisciplinary applications with the aim of using synthetic biology to either develop novel materials or to produce existing materials to overcome availability limitations.
The proof-of-concept would necessitate production of sufficient material to demonstrate the desired functionality. The approach must include a synthetic biology component, but does not have to be exclusively delivered by synthetic biology.
We are seeking initial concepts of promise for a range of uses, examples of which are given below. A desired outcome is to support and enhance MOD’s strategic awareness of the importance of environmentally and functionally responsive (smart) materials, coatings and structures. Proposals should include a clear statement of their potential relevance to defence capabilities and provide opportunities for exploitation.
Proposals must indicate how they will deliver significant improvements over current capabilities and need to describe how they could:
•enable enhanced performance and new functionality
•support platform availability and life extension
•future proof military capability against evolving needs and threats.
As an indication of our interest, the following technical areas are discussed further. This should not be considered an exhaustive list.
Novel manufacturing approaches for functional materials
Defence applications are subject to constraints in the use of materials through legislative control. Articles such as the Restriction of the Use of Certain Hazardous Substances (RoHS) and Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) ban or limit the use of many materials that have been used for years in defence equipment; these include the use of materials such as cadmium, hexavalent chromium, lead, mercury and polybrominateddiphenyl ether. There is, therefore, a need to identify alternative ways to achieve the same function as these materials but through approaches that are less harmful to either the environment or the individual. Synthetic biology offer approaches that could provide effective alternatives to the use of these materials; for example by creating corrosion-protection coatings that are not dependent on cadmium, yet offer the same level of protection?
The ability to exploit the potential benefits of functional materials is often limited by their availability or cost. Synthetic biology has the potential to address some of these supply aspects. For example, are there synthetic biology approaches that enable large-scale implementation of coatings for marine vessels to resist bio-fouling, or to improve hydrodynamic or aerodynamic efficiency?
Adhesives
Adhesives are an important family of materials for defence applications. We are interested in synthetic biology approaches to enable disbondable adhesives that could help improve the repair and maintenance of our vehicles. Joining of dissimilar materials is important for the long term exploitation of advanced materials; what can synthetic biology offer in terms of robust joining technologies? Adhesives are often subjected to extremes of temperature and pressure; for example in the bonding of submarine tiles. Are self-healing adhesives possible through synthetic biology?
Power
Synthetic biology may be able to produce structures which are difficult or uneconomic to make by other means. A recent example is battery electrodes produced by a virus. Such structures may or may not impart improved properties to power sources. There would be interest in battery, capacitor or other electrochemical storage device materials produced by synthetic biology if it can be shown that they offer advantages over traditional material properties. It may also be possible to use synthetic biology to produce energy harvesting devices (solar, thermoelectric, kinetic) which due to their structure have improved properties to traditional devices.
Low observable materials
Materials that have low observable properties in the visible, infra-red and microwave ranges are important for the survivability of people and equipment. These include camouflage materials, metamaterials and coatings. Ultimately, tailorable materials that could be easily adapted to protect against changing threats would have significant benefit for the military. Synthetic biology approaches such as templating could have the potential to produce novel, tailorable low observable materials that could be applied to large surface areas.
Tamper-evidentmaterials
A major challenge for a range of industries is the risk of counterfeit products entering the market. There is, therefore, an interest in materials that provide either overt or covert markers to prevent against counterfeiting, as well as materials that have overt or covert indicators of tampering. Synthetic biology may offer solutions to these challenges; however any solution must also be able to be interrogated remotely.
However, we do not wish to be prescriptive under this challenge, and encourage proposals where the defence and security applications are explored. Any materials must involve synthetic biology at some stage of their production, but chemical modification of synthetic biology-derived precursors is acceptable. A military application should be identified, but identification of other commercial applications is encouraged in addition. These projects must offer a significant benefit over existing solutions, and we would particularly welcome interdisciplinary approaches.
What we want
•Highly innovative approaches which are significantly different from existing technologies and which have the prospect of bringing additional operational military benefit or increased affordability.
•Approaches which will lead to a feasible defence application. Approaches with civil applications in addition to a defence and security application are acceptable.
•Multi- and inter-disciplinary approaches. It is important that the synthetic biology components of the proposed work are fully integrated within the overall project. It is likely that this will involve strong links between engineering, material sciences and biosciences departments.
•Consideration of relevant Ethical, Social and Legal Issues which may impede exploitation.
What we do not want
•We do not expect to be offered existing solutions or technology which have already been tested and found to have limited utility.
•Proposals which comprise a paper study, a review or similar.
•Proposals exclusively based on theoretical and simulation approaches with no practical validation.
•Solutions requiring the release of genetically modified organisms into the environment.
•Proposals without a synthetic biology component in the approach.
Exploitation
Potential routes to exploitation of the successful outcomes from completed projects are to be considered on a per project basis. Each project will be assigned a Dstl Technical Partner who will provide the interface between the project and the defence and security community and will, where appropriate, develop potential routes to exploitation, including exploitation outside defence if appropriate. Potential routes that could be available include additional research to develop or utilise the technology for MOD programmes (without commitment, prejudice and precedence).
Although high risk approaches are sought there should be consideration that the resultant materials and solutions will have to be affordably manufactured at an industrial scale.
During the lifetime of the successful PhD projects there will be an expectation for the research to be presented at engagement opportunities organised by Dstl.During these events each student would have the opportunity to present their work to the stakeholder community.
Further Information and the Application Process
In addition to the PhD application(s) submitted by the research group/centre, the applicant must provide details of how the group/centre can contribute to leading the thinking on the specific theme(s) proposed and how further engagement can be fostered between the research group/centre and the MOD.
Initially we require an expression of interest (EOI). Within this submission the research group/centre is required to provide the following:
•The PhD topic(s) that the research group/centre can address.
•A brief description of the proposed PhD project.
•Details of how the subject matter of this call aligns with other activities undertaken within the research group/centre (current and planned).
•Interest to attend the PhD Calling Conference on 28 January 2015 at the Radisson Blu Hotel, Manchester Airport.
The deadline for the submission of the EOI is 11 January 2015 which is mandatory for those universities that wish to submit a final application. The EOI is only used to gauge interest in the PhD call, to assist in planning the PhD calling conference and future PhD application review process. Further detail concerning the topics described above will be issued to the university at the PhD Calling Conference which will be held on 28 January 2015. Representatives from each university must register their interest to attend via the EOI form. This conference will provide an opportunity for attendees to discuss technical and commercial queries with regards to their applications. The intention is to fully fund up to 20 PhDs in 2015 (dependent upon final budget and cost of individual PhDs). The deadline for applications following the conference is 31 March 2015.Applicants will be informed of the results by the end of May 2015. The projects will need to commence in October 2015.